Moving Picture World (Apr-Jun 1917)

600 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD April 28, 1917 • ' ters supplied by Nature cannot cure that which cannot be cured. At the lecture held in the Princess theater at 10 a. m. ■ there was a 100 per cent, attendance of operators and managers, who listened for almost two hours with very close attention while we preached to them the gospel of better projection. The operators of Hot Springs are all members of Local No. 326 and are a well appearing group of men. The Princess, owned by Blumensteil & Wolfe, is a commodious theater with a good lobby and front. The auditorium lighting is efficient from the projectional point of view, and the screen sets well back at the rear of the stage fully 25 or 30 feet from the front row of seats, all of which is good. Behind the orchestra is an opaque screen which keeps the rays of light from the eyes of the audience. This screen ought to be raised about three inches, but aside from that there is very little to criticize in the auditorium lighting. The operating room of the Princess is, however, a particularly bad example. Its dimensions are 11 ft. 3 in. in width by 5 ft. 4 in. from front to back, with perhaps a 7 ft. ceiling. The room is entered by mounting the top of the balcony, getting down on one's hands and knees and literally crawling through a hole cut in a 12-inch brick wall. Once inside we find the following: Two Towers 6B machines, one rewinder, one film cabinet, the operating room switchboard and a General Electric Mercury Arc Rectifier, and one Ft. Wayne A. C. compensarc. The room is so narrow that it is impossible to get the lamp house back as far as it ought to be, and even where it is placed the operator could barely squeeze through behind the first machine to get to the second, and I could not do it at all. The bulb of the mercuryarc rectifier is unprotected, and you can imagine the flood of light in that little cubbyhole of an "operating room," but in order to help matters out and be sure he would not overlook anything the operator had two ' incandescent lamps burning, though as a matter of fact unless he was merely being friendly with the light company I don't know what he had them burning for. All this is not said to roast the operator or the manager. As a matter of fact, the manager asked me to suggest what could be done in the way of improving the operating room, and told me point blank it would be done. Well, my first suggestion would be that the present room be abandoned, and that a new room be built inside the auditorium, on the main floor at the rear. Of course, this would cut off a block of seats, but it would make the other seats just that much more valuable, and the only real problem would be the dodging of the center post which would be in front of the operating room and the ventilation of the room. If you don't want to do this, however, then cut down into the floor of the balcony at the rear, ju.st in front of the wall where it now is, and place the room there. Even that would be a big improvement and would give you a room of ample size without removing any seats. At the Royal theater, J. G. Blasghke, manager; Ralph E. Mackey, operator, I found an iron operating room in which were two Powers 6A projectors and a G3 rectifier; also there was a compensarc. The picture was bordered in black, and the house lighting, while susceptible of some improvement, was not bad, except that there was a bright exit light to the left of the screen which ought to be reduced by means of a sheet of red glass, which could be gotten at any photographic store. As I passed out I noticed a very pretty cashier in the box office, deeply interested in the manipulation of a good sized wad of chewing gum and the perusal of a pink sheet "racing form," Hot Springs being one of the few remaining communities which still "follows the ponies." At the New Central, S. M. Nutt. manager; L. R. King, operator. I found a black-walled operating room with big ports. The room itself was excellent, but the General Electric Mercury Arc Rectifier was flooding the room with light, although Brother King had had the grace to pull an ordinary paner bag over it, thus reducing the evil to some extent. Projection equipment consisted of two Powers 6A machines. I showed Friend King how he could improve his picture, both in definition and brilliancy, merely by moving his lamr> bnuse back a few inches. Taken altogether. Hot Springs, like all other cities I have thus far visited, is doing some good work, but stands in need of the application of scientific principles and un-to-date knowledge, both in auditorium lighting and operating room practice Elaine Sterne Writes a Novel Story Originally Submitted as a Script, but Is Held Back While Young Authoress Puts It in Book Form. ELAINE STERNE has written her first novel. The young woman whose scenarios have been so successful in the last three years has done much in the way of short story writing. Last summer saw the publication of her first book, "Sunny Jim," a collection of sketches based upon the picture series of that name. This has had a large sale. Last summer Miss Sterne submitted to Yitagraph a scenario entitled "The Road of Ambition." It was approved by the production chiefs. Colonel Jasper Ewing Brady, however, saw in the script more than did his associates. He recommended that the production of the story be held back while Miss Sterne wrote a novel around the theme. The suggestion was accepted by all parties, and Miss Sterne looked about for a publisher. The Britton Publishing Company of New York read the script — already it was acquainted with . her fiction style. From the script the company accepted the book before a line of it was written. The company did more than that. It made Miss Sterne an advance payment and bound her to a contract to write a second and third book within five years. The young authoress set out to get real atmosphere. As the story was of the steel mills it was necessary that she should obtain entrance to large establishments. Owing to the pressure of munitions work and the disinclination of managers to permit the visiting of any investigating authors there were discouragements before Miss Sterne succeeded. She interested Charles M. Schwab, the head of the Bethlehem works, and the doors of that great establishment were opened to her. Site got the atmosphere. "The Road to Ambition," of 496 pages and illustrated, goes into the bookstores this week. New trails are being blazed in the motion picture industry. It is beyond question that in the train of incidents leading up to the publication of this book Miss Sterne has established another record— in the acceptance by a publisher of a book from script form before a word of the novel had been penned, and that meantime the script should be held for production. The foregoing will be of marked interest to the wide circle of friends of the writer — but it need hardly be' said it will not surprise them. FOX ENGAGES GEORGE BRONSON-HOWARD. George Bronson-Howard, the well-known author and playwright, has taken charge of the scenario department of the William Fox Film Corporation. This is just another step of William Fox to make his productions the best that brains and money can produce. Already Mr. Bronson-Howard has distinguished himself as playwright, novelist, short-story writer, musical comedy librettist, dramatic critic, war correspondent in the RussoJapanese war, captain in the Chinese Army and inspector in both the Chinese and Phillipines Customs; besides having been a reporter for a dozen papers from San Francisco to London and a member of the editorial staff of half a dozen magazines. Just a little over a year ago Mr. Bronson-Howard succumbed to the lure of the silent drama and joined a motion picture producing organization in California. Shortly after his play. "Snobs," was flashed upon the screen. Becoming enthused with the art of making photodramas, he was not content merely to adapt his novels and plays for the screen: he wanted to direct; so he joined the directing staff of another California producer and wrote and directed for the screen "The Perils of the Secret Service." "THE RANSOM" FOR APRIL 26. Milton Fahrney's "The Ransom." in which George Ovev is featured, will be released April 26th. The storv deals with heavy handed villainy. Russians who "Itchovitch" all over fhe place and virtue finallv triumphant, with Claire Alexander aiding in the triumph. EDWARD ELLIS AND JOSEPHINE STEVENS. Edward Ellis, star in several Art Dramas productions, and author of "The Great Bradley Mystery," a coming release. was married on Thursday, April 5, to Josephine Stevens, a film actress of note. The affair was quietly managed, only a few friends and relatives being present. The Church of the Messiah, on Park avenue, was the scene, while Rev. Doctor Holmes conducted the ceremony. Fred Perry and Mary Louise Morrison were best man and bridesmaid, respectively. Mr. Ellis, besides appearing in Apollo productions on Art Dramas program, is at present engaged in reviving "Get Rich Quick Wallingford," in which he will play his original role, that of Blackie Daw. He has been starring in stage productions for a number of years, and has also written a number of plays, which have enjoyed Broadway productions. Miss Stevens has been appearing as leading woman in the "Fatty"' Arbuckle comedies.